“Türkiye-Africa Trade Relations Have Increased Tenfold in the Last 20 Years”

“As Europe’s neocolonial influence over Africa began to wane, new actors eager to become active on the continent started to establish spheres of influence in different regions of Africa. Many countries acted earlier than Türkiye in establishing contact with Africa. Türkiye began expanding its diplomatic representation network in Africa at the beginning of 2008. Thanks to these efforts, new embassies were opened in 2009. Currently, Türkiye has diplomatic representation in 44 African countries. Following China, the USA, and France, Türkiye is among the countries with the most representations on the continent. Türkiye’s Africa policy has become more pronounced since 2005. The growing Türkiye-Africa relations can be understood as Türkiye balancing its position between Asia and Europe via Africa. Moreover, African countries constitute important export markets for Türkiye. Turkish companies are establishing and operating some of the largest facilities in Africa in the textile and food industries, as well as in the iron-steel and heavy industries, even generating significant foreign exchange income. In the last century, official languages, currencies, and socio-cultural and economic lifestyles in Africa have been largely shaped by the West and continue to exert their influence. It is clear that reversing this influence will take time. It is not easy for African countries to align with China, Russia, the USA, or India. Instead of opposing Europe in Africa, Türkiye acts according to the suitability of current conditions.”